


Oh, Somewhere Deep Inside Of These Bones

by pocketmumbles (livelikejack)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Nightmare Before Christmas Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 01:36:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3591450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livelikejack/pseuds/pocketmumbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And I, DEREK!! THE <em>CABBAGE KING</em>…” Derek trails off with a sigh, dropping the head of cabbage back down into the patch. He takes his responsibilities seriously, of course, as the Cabbage King of Thanksgiving Town, but it’s so lonely, being wedged between Halloween and Christmas. </p>
<p> <br/><em>(Or, the Nightmare Before Christmas AU where Derek is the Cabbage King of Thanksgiving Town.)</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Oh, Somewhere Deep Inside Of These Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: _"nightmare before christmas au where derek is the cabbage king in the land of healthy eating or coleslaw"_
> 
> This was gonna be crack - hence the Cabbage King in the prompt/fic - but then it almost immediately got weirdly serious. The other towns are named after the seven doors from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and this fic is presumably set somewhere wayyyyy in the future after the film, with characters from Teen Wolf taking over as Kings/Queens of the various towns.
> 
> Fic title is from "Jack's Lament" on The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.
> 
> Originally posted on [Tumblr](http://pocketlass.tumblr.com/post/98619029791/nightmare-before-christmas-au-where-derek-is-the).

"And I, DEREK!! THE  _CABBAGE KING…”_  Derek trails off with a sigh, dropping the head of cabbage back down into the patch. He takes his responsibilities seriously, of course, as the Cabbage King of Thanksgiving Town, but it’s so lonely, being wedged between Halloween and Christmas. They make crepe paper turkeys, and dried ears of corn, and whatever leftover pumpkins that get sent over from Halloween Town, but their festivities are always so paltry in comparison.

Every other Town is a big deal - he’d wandered into St. Patrick’s Town, once, and the Clover Queen had things going at a non-stop party even though it was only January - but Thanksgiving Town is… well. He doesn’t blame most of the residents for moving to Christmas Town, instead. They have snow, and bright lights, and houses made of gingerbread and canes made of candy. Thanksgiving Town has… turkeys, so fat they can’t fly, running wild on the streets. (That’s rude. They’re not wild. They use the crosswalk and everything.) And teeny tiny leftover pumpkins, with the uglier ones being made into pie that everyone likes better in Christmas Town anyway.

Derek’s proud of his Town, of course - he would’ve resigned by now if he wasn’t - but it gets lonely, watching more and more leave every year. Jackson left for Christmas Town a couple years back, and then Boyd and Erica left for Independence Town, and then Cora met Lydia in St. Patrick’s Town and decided to stay, and then Isaac followed Allison to Easter Town… he’s not mad that they left. They still come back to visit, and they’re all so much happier, now. He can see the excitement on Erica’s face when she cups a sparkler, Boyd positively glowing under the bright fireworks, Isaac cradling his beautifully painted eggs in his cardigan.

He’s happy for them, really. He just… wishes that someone would stay. Derek shakes his head. He’s being dramatic again. Thanksgiving isn’t about drama. (That’s what Christmas is for. It’s why Jackson thrives so well there.) Thanksgiving is about friends and family, and they all come to visit him when it’s his turn. That’s all that really matters.

Sure, he wishes he wasn’t so alone all other 364 days of the year, but they’re busy. Cora has pots of gold to make, Isaac has eggs to paint, Boyd and Erica have fireworks to plan, and Jackson has… whatever the hell he does in Christmas Town. It’s not their fault that Thanksgiving is a low-key holiday. Derek crunches through the eternally brittle leaves of the woods, coming to a stop in front of the seven holiday doors. The door from Halloween Town creaks open - probably Malia with their leftover pumpkins, and then he’ll have a few weeks to busy himself before Christmas really takes hold.

He falls back in surprise when Malia doesn’t step through, or Stiles, or anyone who looks even remotely like a denizen of Halloween Town. “Hello!” the dark-haired boy says cheerfully, maneuvering through the door with an overflowing armful of pumpkins. The top ones start to tip out of his grasp. “Oh, gosh-”

Derek runs to catch the pumpkins before they splatter on the ground - the turkeys will be all over the mess, and the last thing he needs is to try to herd them away from the doors, especially since they always insist on trying to visit Christmas Town. “Thanks!” the boy says, straightening with a grin.

Derek kicks the door to Halloween Town shut. “Did Malia send you?”

"Uh, sort of?" the boy tries. "I was visiting my friend - Stiles, the Pumpkin King - and Malia mentioned that she needed to take the extra pumpkins to Thanksgiving Town, and I’d never been here so I offered to take them on my way home. Oh and I’m Scott." He sticks a hand out, then quickly snatches it back as the pumpkins start to tumble.

"Derek," he says with a nod. Stiles had mentioned a Scott more than a few times, usually about him mooning over the Heart Queen - "You’re from Valentine’s Town, right?"

"Yeah," Scott says, following Derek to the cabbage patch. He twists his head around as he walks, apparently fascinated by the dead leaves and dying trees. "I’m the new Heart King."

"Wait, what?" Derek asks. "I thought Kira took over after Allison moved to Easter Town."

"Yeah, then Kira became the new Firework Queen," Scott says. He watches Derek lay the pumpkins down among the cabbages and carefully copies his movements. "So Valentine’s Day’s my gig now, I guess. Wow, those turkeys are  _huge_.”

"Yeah, try and avoid them on your way back," Derek says. "They’ll talk your ears off."

"Cool," Scott says. He wanders out of the cabbage patch and towards the nearest tree. "This is  _amazing_.”

"The tree?"

"The leaves! They’re so red - and those are so orange - and those are so yellow!" He spins around, beaming at Derek. "You never see this in Valentine’s Town! They’re either dead or just barely getting their leaves back, I never knew there were so many  _colors_.”

"They’re like this in Halloween Town, too," Derek says as he follows Scott further into the woods.

"Nah, not like this," Scott says. "Not this many, and not nearly this vibrant. This is so cool, Derek! And there’s so many leaves! They’re so crunchy!"

"Yeah," Derek says, apology ready on the tip of his tongue - Jackson had hated the crunching, too - but Scott darts past him and dives into the nearest pile. He resurfaces with a grin. "I’ve always wanted to do that. Just as fun as I always thought it would be."

"Really?" Derek says. "I thought diving into snow would be more fun."

He scoffs. “That’s how I know you’ve never dived into snow. It’s fun for about two seconds, and then you’re cold, and wet, and half the time you get stuck and someone has to come pull you out.” Scott shudders. “I love the snow, but trust me, it gets old.”

"I’ll take your word for it," Derek says, sitting on a fallen log.

Scott sits next to him. “Or you could come visit Valentine’s Town sometime. See the snow for yourself.”

"I’ve seen the snow," Derek says. "We get the first snowfalls here, you know."

"Yeah, but you’ve never seen it  _melt_ ,” Scott says. “It’s pretty cool. I mean, it gets kinda slushy and gross, but it’s really cool, too.”

"You’re making such a compelling argument for yourself," Derek says dryly. Instead of laughing, though, Scott looks down, hunching in a little.

"It’s not the coolest time of year," he mumbles. "And I know the chocolates aren’t as fun as Easter Town’s, and you can build better snowmen in Christmas Town, but, I mean, it’s home, y’know?" He fiddles with a loose piece of bark on the log. "I don’t blame you if you don’t want to visit."

He looks so dejected, shredding the bark between his fingers, that Derek finds himself reaching over and grabbing his hand. “I’d love to visit, Scott.”

Scott looks up. “Really?”

"Really," Derek says, and Scott beams. "I can’t right now, though. These are pretty much the only two weeks of the year I’m actually busy. You’ve got a pretty terrible sense of timing."

"Uh, more like  _best_  sense of timing,” Scott says. He bounces to his feet. “I’m totally free. I can help you get ready for Thanksgiving, and then you can come back with me to Valentine’s Town!”

Derek stands slowly. “Really?” he asks. “I mean, Thanksgiving’s pretty boring, it’s no Christmas-”

"Derek. Shut up." Scott grabs his hand, tugging him towards the road. "Now, what do we do first?"

**Author's Note:**

> Come say [hi](http://pocketlass.tumblr.com)!


End file.
